The people that have posted on this thread are a who's-who of my favorite Marriott forum people. A lot of great people who have shared their Marriott wisdom with us unwashed masses. I find it distressing that so many are gnashing their teeth, as am I, over this policy change. That said, to the topic at hand.

A while ago, I started a thread about moving to another hotel chain. I was disappointed with Marriott's less generous loyalty program ... but that darned LIFETIME STATUS bauble kept me going. I now see that lifetime status at a chain that has decided to monetize every aspect of their client base is not a benefit.
Where did things go wrong with Marriott? Is this due to Arne Sorenson taking the reins of Marriott? I don't know. I'm thinking that Marriott started to take a different direction once he reached the position of President and COO (May 2009). More than a couple 'nicities' that I enjoyed have been hard to come by since then. My fave was Bonus Bucks/Extra Euros/Premium Pounds - now extinct. Others have decried the death of BOGOs. And weekend breakfasts for elites. In the last 3 years, it's felt like Marriott has tried to extract maximum dollars from customers while offering less and less in return. That works in the short run but kills the brand in the long run.

Other hotel chains will work at not only getting, but also keeping your business.
I moved to Marriott from Starwood. I loved FS Starwoods (St Regis, Westin, W) but wanted LIFETIME status once my heavy traveling was done. So what did Starwood do? They announced lifetime status requirements this year. I've stayed at 3 Starwoods this year for the first time in ~6 years. Felt good; I'm impressed with the new Starwood. And I just got comped Gold; I'll be Plat before the end of this year but it was very nice to be comped gold after being gone for so long.
I also did a Hyatt Diamond challenge late last year. One word for Hyatts: AWESOME. I'm very happy with their level of service. I would recommend Hyatt to any MR member who stays at FS Marriotts. They're a bit thinner on properties but the level of service is a cut above.

I can't speak for Hilton or the other chains but it seems like the others are trying to get your business, whereas Marriott's current approach seems to be wringing as many dollars out of their customers. It's a shame. It's painful for me to watch such an iconic brand name implode.

Folks, there are other choices out there. I know it's very hard to leave Marriott but nothing will change until many vote with their feet.